The Niagara News is the community newspaper of Niagara College located in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is created and produced by the students of the Niagara College Journalism program.

Generation ‘X’ isn’t made for forever

By SARAH PIERCEYStaff WriterTo some people, marriage is the ultimate end to their search for “true love”. The man or woman makes a plan to propose. Someone says, “Yes” and the planning begins.The two people then spend months fussing and trying not to argue over details such as plating, the music, whom to invite and whom to forget to invite. But will it succeed?Forty-seven per cent of marriages end in divorce. In Canada in 2004, Government of Canada statistics show that out of 146,363 marriages that happened that year, the same year had 69,644 divorces on record. This is an insane number! When did we take the morals that kept our grandparents together “till death do us part” and turn them into a joke?I am anti-marriage. This generation doesn’t have what it takes to do “forever”. A wedding day is supposed to be when two people make their lives one; a day when two families become one. When did a little piece of paper declaring two people in love become such a hassle? When our morals went out the window.Our generation knows only that no matter what breaks, they can go purchase a new one at a store, off the Internet or even through an online shopping magazine at 35,000 feet in the air taking a plane trip. Everything is replaceable. Sadly, replaceable is how most humans see each other. If one marriage doesn’t work, a divorce is easy enough. Then, finding a new mate is one website or bar night away. Rinse, wash, repeat.Now, there are shows on TV showing girls that being a Bridezilla is normal. Others that show girls having a baby and being a single mom at 16 is OK. A wedding now is a glorified day for the bride (usually, some men fall under this as well) to pick an expensive dress, make the day about her, and forget whom she’s doing it for in the first place. I’m not sure if it’s the flowers, sparkly ring, or getting everything she’s dreamed of since she was little, but most weddings now aren’t about love at all.Do all marriages fail? No. Do both parties have to work equally to make it work? Yes. Maybe spending your life finding a person who knows how to fix things should be more important than finding the person who is perfect for right this second.Maybe the government should create a test people have to take before saying their vows to see if they will last. Do both people believe they can make it? and why? I’m sure divorce lawyers love their jobs but should we really have so many who are busy non-stop? No!Marriage is about two people willing to try and do everything humanly possible to see each other be happy. Love is not selfish and marriage is not something you do because you got pregnant.If you’re going to take the leap into Forever, (and spend far too much money on your big day) make sure it’s for the right reasons.